First get a pen. Now hold the pen tightly in your hand. The pen represents your thoughts and feelings, and your hand is your awareness.
Notice that although gripping the pen is uncomfortable, after a little time it begins to feel familiar or “normal”. Are you feeling that yet? In this same way, your awareness holds on tightly to your thoughts and feelings, and eventually you get used to holding on and don’t event realize you’re doing it.
Now open your hand and roll the pen around on your palm. Notice that your pen and your hand are not attached to each other. The same is true of your thoughts and feelings. Your thoughts and feelings are no more attached to you than the pen is attached to your hand. You are not your thoughts or feelings.
Now turn your hand over and let the pen go.
What happened? The pen dropped to the floor.
Was that hard? No-you simply stopped holding on!
That’s what it means to let go.
